I have never worked with staghorns before and now I need to save one. I have been checking youtube videos but figured asking active gardeners for advice could only help. I have seen them dividing the fern and then mounting it on wood. I am wondering how farfetched the idea is to use a chain saw and try to carve out a hunk of the oak with the fern? It has been mounted to this tree for awhile. The local tree guy had explained there was a prior lightening strike on this property years ago that took out a huge oak and some palms, this oak was adjacent and injured. It bloomed every year and appeared to be healing over but the wood peckers recently started pecking at the dead bottom and it just blew over today in minor wind. I wonder if I should just cut off the fern or attempt hacking at tree. I guess oak is a hard wood? I could probably ask the tree guy.

such a bummer

You can see the bark was trying to heal.

Edited to say, never mind my question. Cutting oak was never going to happen. LOL But I did get some babies.

There were some little white bugs that I will have to deal with. Fingers crossed that I can de-bug them and mount them somehow. At least they were saved from the tree guy and his chipper.

I left two babies underneath the tree. My better angels told me not to go under there for some reason.